It's sad, sombre, sobering and soulless, when one reads that the aid budgets in most of the wealthy countries are falling, yet so many of the really rich hide their money offshore for personal gain (Secrets of the rich who hide cash offshore, 4 April). Yet the privatising and profiteering 1980s and 1990s seem to have imbued the public with a "me-only" mentality. The really wealthy have fed at our expense, and instead of giving back to their countries, have gouged more private wealth instead of realising their obligations – and how much joy they could get from setting up foundations to aid the poor.
Unless governments set the standards and change their legislation to encourage opinion leaders to value those who give over those who are incredibly rich, we appear doomed to this selfish culture. We need more people like the Australian businessman Dick Smith, who believes that financial magazines should be publishing lists of the top 100 tax payers rather than the top 100 wealthy. In other words, we need to see tax paying as a positive, rather than a negative, and ensure that those who reap untold benefits (often from public licences and permits) contribute their fair share. Sadly, I don't see this happening.
Peta Colebatch
Pretty Beach, Australia